Cheese Puffs--gougeres

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 30
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 -5 eggs
• 4 ounces gruyere cheese
• 1 egg, beaten (to mix with 1/2 teaspoon salt, for glaze)
• 2 -3 tablespoons grated gruyere cheese

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 400° and lightly butter a baking sheet.
• 2 in a large saucepan, combine the water, salt, and butter and heat gently until the butter is melted.
• 3 meanwhile, sift the flour onto a piece of parchment paper.
• 4 bring the butter mixture just to a boil; take from the heat and immediately add all the flour.
• 5 beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for a few moments until the mixture pulls away from the pan sides to form a ball.
• 6 beat for 30 seconds to 1 minute over low heat to dry the dough.
• 7 beat 1 egg and set aside; beat the remaining eggs into the dough, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
• 8 beat in enough reserved egg so the dough is shiny and just falls from the spoon.
• 9 if too much egg is added, the dough will be too soft and not hold its shape.
• 10 rub the top of the dough with butter to prevent a skin from forming, and set aside until cool.
• 11 cut the gruyere cheese in tiny dice, or coarsely grate it, and beat it into the dough.
• 12 transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip and pipe 1 1/2 inch mounds on the baking sheet, spacing them well apart as they will puff during baking.
• 13 alternately, drop mounds of dough on the baking sheet using 2 small spoons.
• 14 brush the mounds with the egg glaze and sprinkle with grated gruyere.
• 15 bake until golden brown and crisp, 25-30 minutes.
• 16 the puffs often seem done too soon, so take out a puff and let it cool for a minute or two to check if it is ready before removing the rest.
• 17 the puff should stay crisp on the outside and slightly soft inside.
• 18 gougeres are at their best warm from the oven.